Life & Work with Legendary Nedge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Legendary Nedge.

Hi Legendary, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I’ve always loved music and have been fascinated with different genres of music. My love for music comes from my background in dance, I began dancing in my mother’s dance company at the age of four. Even Though I was the only boy in the company I outshined all the other dancers in ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap performances and that’s where my love for performing and being on stage has come from. My favorite artist was Michael Jackson; I had the thriller jacket, the glove, and the fedora. I used to stand in front of the tv in my grandmother’s living room for hours watching clips and videos of Michael trying to move exactly like him. So when I was eight years old one year during my annual dance recital I begged my mom to let me do a Michael Jackson tribute as my first ever solo, and when I performed ‘Smooth Criminal” on stage in front of thousands of people I knew that I wanted to be an entertainer when I grew up. Fast forward about five years, my 8th grade year in middle school my best friend and I were into 90’s rap music and culture really heavy. I knew I could dance and perform but I never considered rapping and dancing at the same time until I discovered 2pac.

He was my idol, I loved his flow and swagger, but also his ability to make you feel the music and visualize everything he was saying. I thought to myself “shit I can do that too”, so I started to freestyle over instrumentals I’d find on YouTube. I’d play beats like Drakes ‘Best I Ever Had’ or J Cole’s ‘Forbidden Fruit’ and rap about experiences I had or things I’d do on a daily basis. Before long the freestyles turned into lyrics, and the lyrics turned into songs; and I’d find myself beating on tables in the middle of the cafeteria and classrooms rapping to my classmates. The more I did it the better I got, and by the time freshman year of high school came around I was recording three or four songs a day in my bedroom on my phone. The older I got I started to get into relationships and friendships that were unhealthy at times. So I started to use the music as an outlet to heal myself from problems like depression and anxiety versus just playing around rapping about what I ate for lunch. I realized the deeper I got into myself I awakened some inner demons that I didn’t know existed, but the deeper I went and the more conscious I got the better my writing skills, and beat selection, and overall quality of music got. Now I’m studying Audio Production at Middle Tennessee State University and developing a new trade which is producing and engineering my own music as well as others.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The older I got I started to get into relationships and friendships that were unhealthy at times.. I also struggled a lot with finding my identity as a young African American man in America. Because, when I was younger I would dress really nice and preppy by wearing bow ties and button down shirts to school every day, and a lot of the black kids would bully me and say that “You want to be white” or “You think you’re white” and mess up my clothes, step on my shoes and beat me up because of the way I dressed. I felt like I wasn’t accepted by my own race because of the clothes that I wore or the way that I talked. So when I tried to promote my music I would be quickly shot down by my peers and it was hard for me to understand that everybody’s not going to support you or believe in you in life; you have to believe in yourself. So I started to use the music as an outlet to heal myself from problems like depression and anxiety versus just playing around rapping about what I ate for lunch. I realized the deeper I got into myself I awakened some inner demons that I didn’t know existed, but the deeper I went and the more conscious I got the better my writing skills, and beat selection, and overall quality of music got. I’m glad that I went through the hardships that I did because it made me the person I am and artist I am today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Nick Edgerson but I go by the name of Legendary Nedge. I’m a rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, actor, and businessman; and I’ve been making music for five years and producing for two. My background in dance has many accolades attributed to it, I’m a six time Nationalist and two time World Champion in competitive dance. I’ve starred in numerous live plays, commercials, music videos, and a YouTube web series entitled ‘In Our Lifetime’. I’ve appeared on The Rap Plugs ‘Live Artist Showcase’ and performed in front of thousands of people. I am most proud of all the work I’ve been doing and the work everyone on my team has been doing to establish my brand as a recording artist. I am proud of how far I’ve come as an artist and person from a few years ago, and I’m proud of the amount of dedication everyone around me puts in to make sure I succeed. Ultimately, I think my mission and the reason I make music is what sets me apart from others. I always say “I don’t want to be famous for the clout or for the fame, I want to be famous for the voice to make a change”; because I make music that’s a raw reflection of the reality that I live in. I think if you listen to my lyrics, no matter what your background or demographic is you can relate to my music in some way.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’ve had a lot of influences and mentors in my life, from sports teams I’ve been a part of two summer internship programs I’ve worked on. But as far as musical mentors, a lady named Jen Hodges who I met at Atlanta’s Boys & Girls Club’s ‘Notes for Notes Program’ has helped me a lot and given me a lot of valuable pieces of information about the music business. Some other mentors I’ve had are other local talents that are a little more known than me and older in age, one of them being a band named Mixed Tribe’s lead singer and guitarist Mark Bass. He’s been performing longer than me and gives me advice, invites me to studio sessions, and lets me perform and some live events with him when I can. I think the best way to network is by being vulnerable and authentic, just be yourself and what’s meant for you will be and God will remove all the other negative energy for you and from around you.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://nicolasedgerson.wixsite.com/legendarynedge
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary.nedge/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqLt7huNRWGrbxJqacgKayA
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-edgerson?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1
• Other: https://chriscollinsss.medium.com/legendary-nedge-88e35ca30d9d

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